Monarch butterflies

I've seen several Monarchs in the flower beds. They zero in on the milkweed plants (host plant for Monarch butterflies). If you want Monarchs in your yard, plant milkweed!

Spiders

Here are pictures of spiders and other animals. Dave took these pictures with his Droid Razr. The first picture was taken while he was working in the sugarcane fields.

Frog and Flowers

This morning I saw a frog in Max's water bowl. It's been dry lately and he was looking for some water to soak in. Seeing the frog in the water bowl didn't surprise me at all, it happens all the time during summer months. Usually the frog lives underneath the water bowl and will come out to soak in the water whenever it feels like it.

This is a Plumeria that I grew from a cutting. You may recognize this flower if you've ever been to Hawaii, this is the flower used for leis. I've got my Plumeria growing in a pot and it can't be left outside when its cold. It's a hassle moving it in the shed when a cold night comes along. Then, in the morning, I have to move it back in the sun and then back in the shed at night. It's worth it for the flowers.

The above picture is new flowers that will open in a few days.

Fishing Trip

Today I was off work and my dad and I went fishing in the Atchafalaya Swamp/River Basin. The Atchafalaya Swamp is one of my favorite places in Louisiana because it is filled with wildlife. We saw three alligators, lots of birds, and caught several types of fish. I was looking for snakes but didn't see any. Snakes are masters of camouflage and one was probably near me and I didn't even notice. We also have black bears in Louisiana and I'm still waiting to see one in person. Back to my fishing trip, here are the pictures!

Alligator #1 (above) was a baby alligator, I'd say around 2 feet long. He was hiding in some bushes that draped down into the water. All I could see was his eyes sticking out of the water.

Alligator #2 (above) was a little bigger than the first, around 4 feet long. He was very shy and sneaky and I almost didn't get a picture of him. He was also hiding under some branches. I tried to get a better picture of him and my foot hit the side of the boat and scared him away! The third alligator we saw was so shy I wasn't able to get close enough to take a picture. He was about the size of alligator #2.

This is the catfish my dad caught. This catfish didn't want to pose for a picture, it took me three shots to finally get a good picture. He didn't want to go in our ice chest (and later the frying pan!) and kept squirming around trying to break free and go back in the water. Did you know that catfish will make little grunting noises if you take them out of water?

I don't know the name of this bird, but he was sunning himself way up on a tree branch.

This is a sacalait (pronounced sack-ah-lay) and this is what we were fishing for. We caught alot of fish and had a good time.

Homemade Bread

Today, for the first time, I made bread from scratch. It was easy and tasty! Here is the link to the recipe: Amish White Bread

Clematis

My clematis finally bloomed!

This is Clematis jackmanii and it is a notoriously slow grower, but the flowers are worth it! Clematis is a slow growing vine and is available in many different flower colors. You can choose from purple, red, pink, and white. I've got mine growing on a chain link fence. The flowers are about 4 inches across.

Monarch caterpillars

This is a Monarch caterpillar and will transform into a Monarch butterfly in a few weeks.

If you want to have Monarchs in your garden, go to your local nursery center and ask for milkweed. Sometimes its labeled as butterfly weed, but its the same thing. Milkweed is the only host plant of this butterfly so its important to incorporate this plant in your garden.

I counted five caterpillars on one milkweed! Can't wait until they turn into butterflies!

Victoria Blue Salvia

This is one of my favorite salvias. Its called Victoria Blue Salvia (Salvia farinacea) and it starts blooming as soon as spring arrives. Right now its really the only plant blooming.

Here is a close up of the flower stalk. I've it planted at the front of my bed because it doesn't grow tall, I'd say around 18-20 inches tall. This is a perennial and doesn't require any extra effort. I like this plant so much that I bought 3 more plants last week.

Catnip is another healthy plant in my garden. Ginger loves catnip!

She got a hair cut last week and now she is much cooler.

Laying in the catnip is Ginger's favorite spot in the garden.

I'll end with a group picture of our two inside cats, Mike (orange) and Kitty (black and white).

Birds

A Louisiana Iris that started blooming a few days ago. I know I planted a red variety of Louisiana Iris but it hasn't bloomed yet. Hopefully it didn't die on me!

Now for a few pictures of the birds at my bird feeder.

I will end with a picture of Mike, one of our inside cats. He is laying on an empty egg crate. He lays on the strangest things. He is a big cat, the egg crate is big enough to hold 25 eggs! Soon he will get a hair cut at the vet's office. I get him trimmed so he will be more comfortable during the summer.

Tunica Hills WMA

Sunday morning we drove to Tunica Hills WMA. It was a perfect day for hiking! We didn't see any wildlife but we saw plenty signs of armadillos, turkey and deer.

These are pictures from the trail we hiked down to a dry creek bed. Some parts were steep with sharp drop offs. I was scared one of us might step on a copperhead snake but we didn't. With all the brown leaves on the ground they would be hard to spot.

Dry creek bed at the end of our hike. It was easy getting down to the creek but very difficult walking back up. The trail was so steep! Lots of animals had walked through the sand and I took pictures of the tracks.

Pretty sure that is a deer track.

Turkey track.

This is what you see when you look up at the sky. There are so many trees there that the trail is mostly shaded.

San Francisco Plantation

This weekend the San Francisco Plantation held their annual arts and craft festival called Frisco Fest. There were lots of vendors selling pretty things but I didn't buy anything! I wanted to buy lots of paintings and other art work but I'm running out of wall space at my house.

We toured the plantation home and the most interesting fact I learned was how the plantation got its name. There is no connection to California or to Saint Francis but there is a link to a French phrase meaning "I don't have a penny left in my pocket". When you say that phrase in French, it sounds like San Francisco, hence the name. Running a sugar cane plantation costs money and the owner was said to say "I don't have a penny left in my pocket!" after paying all the bills. Neat factoid, right?

These are pictures from the front and back and the side water cistern. The pipes connecting the cistern to the house provided running water to the home.

Lots of arts and crafts vendors! So many things to look at!

People made from wine bottles.

Coasters! There was a really cute LSU coaster, see next picture.

Lots of pretty wooden bowls! He had some nice cedar pieces too.

Hand painted ceramic plates that were inspired from historical places in Louisiana. She had so many different churches, schools and famous restaurants. I stayed in her booth for a long time looking at everything.

If you are ever in Garyville, LA make sure you stop by San Francisco Plantation. Tours of the house are $15 per adult and they are well worth the money. The tour guides dress in period attire and are very knowledgeable!